19
Bisma and Xander continued to work together on the cure. She spent every free moment she had with him, and along with her poison business, running errands, trying to find evidence of Eleanora’s involvement (the only lead she had) and the general work of being Baji, she felt she was constantly running from one place to the next.
After a few days of relentless work, Bisma was at her absolute wit’s end. They had tested out numerous different mixtures. In the beginning, Xander had suggested consulting Eleanora on the matter, which Bisma had vehemently refused. She knew Xander trusted his mother wholeheartedly, but Bisma did not.
Besides, Xander had no shortage of theories himself, and while some didn’t work right away, others seemed promising before failing. He made more of the freezing potion in case any of the other girls were poisoned.
It was no wonder that Bisma and her sisters were in low spirits. Nori began crying at every little thing, particularly because Deeba wasn’t there to play with her; Mei was just sad, letting out great big sighs; Azalea was angry, more sassy than usual; and Luna still refused to go to town, which made both her and Haru forlorn.
The Enchanted Forest seemed to be influenced by their drab energy, as well, for one day when Bisma went down to MirrorLake, which was usually as clear as a glass—hence the name—it was murky.
It was unnerving, and only gave her a heightened sense of urgency. While working with Xander was a necessity, it was also exhausting.
Some days they worked startlingly well together, so well, in fact, it felt they operated as one entity. Often, they worked in silence, but that did not undermine their communication skills; they could almost read each other’s minds now, knowing what the other required before they even had to say it.
Then, other days—like today—Xander was his usual, insufferable self.
He was standing beside her as they worked, and she felt him staring at her, smiling to himself.
‘What?’ she finally snapped, turning to him.
He leaned against the table so they were facing each other.
When he didn’t reply, she said, ‘Well?’
‘Come to dinner with me.’
She balked. ‘Excuse me?’
He smiled. ‘You heard me.’
‘I don’t like to be commanded,’ she said, though this was not the complete truth. But he did not need to know about the types of situations she liked to be commanded in.
‘Darling Bisma, won’t you accompany me to dinner?’ he asked sweetly. He plucked a red rose from one of the bushes in the greenhouse and offered it to her.
Bisma pretended to consider it. She gave him a sweet smile, then said, ‘No.’
He frowned, sighing. He must have been bored and more than that, tired. She had to confess, she was exhausted as well. But that did not mean she intended to take leave of her senses and go out with him.
‘Why don’t you direct your efforts elsewhere?’ she asked, just to bother him. ‘You’re sure to be met with more favorable responses.’
He looked peeved. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
Bisma rolled her eyes. He was being willfully obtuse.
‘Step outside, I’m sure you’ll have an offer from a number of girls within the minute,’ she said. The idea of it added an edge to her tone.
Suddenly, Xander didn’t look irritated, but amused. ‘Is that so?’ he asked, cocking his head. ‘Are you quite sure?’
She scowled, thinking of the village girls she routinely heard talking about him.
‘Yes, I’m quite sure. I’ve heard Christina and Racquel going on at length about your ridiculous hair on numerous occasions, not to mention Famke and Umamah’s obsession with your height.’
‘Keeping track of all my admirers, are we?’ He smirked.
She rolled her eyes.
‘Of course not,’ she said, her cheeks warming. ‘They’re all so loud and obnoxious, one cannot help but overhear.’
